MacArthur (1977)
Genre: Drama / War
Duration: 130 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Joseph Sargent
Stars: Gregory Peck and Ed Flanders
IMDb score:
6,5 (5.673)
Releasedate: 1 July 1977
MacArthur plot
Biography of the life of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against Japan during World War II with controversial but effective tactics. He later had conflicts with President Truman over the conduct of the Korean War, which eventually led to MacArthur's resignation.
Actors and actresses
Douglas MacArthur
Lt. Gen. Richard K. Sutherland
Gen. George C. Marshall
Colonel Sidney Huff
Jean MacArthur
President Harry S. Truman
General Shepherd
Korean Soldier
Aide
POW (uncredited)
Reviews & comments
blurp194
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- 5826 messages
- 4391 votes
Good play by Gregory Peck.
But that doesn't hide the fact that the film leaves a few things untouched, and I also get the feeling that it leans far too much towards political correctness. Surely a 5-star wartime general like MacArthur could hardly have been such an ideal son-in-law as is portrayed here. What appears on the poster, including 'Supreme Egotist', doesn't really make it back in the film—I consider myself more selfish than the nice gentleman shown here. The only real discordant note we see is the honorary title 'Emperor' that is mumbled occasionally—and now that I mention it, the period when he was the reigning lord and master of Japan is also treated rather briefly.
As a result, all in all, it lacks credibility. It provides a good overview of the man's life perhaps, but we barely get any real insight into his motives. That is a shame, because I think that would make for a really interesting story.
For, consciously or unconsciously, MacArthur was certainly a very colorful figure—as evidenced by his catchphrase, which is only mentioned briefly here. A Terminator could certainly learn a thing or two from that.
I Shall Return
Translated from Dutch · View original
scorsese
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- 13518 messages
- 11327 votes
Excellent film about General Douglas MacArthur, who led the fight against Japan during World War II. Perhaps presented somewhat dryly, but for that no less a fascinating history lesson (including the section on the reconstruction of Japan after the surrender). The film is easily carried by Gregory Peck in the title role.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Roger Thornhill
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- 6221 messages
- 2558 votes
Was this an attempt by the studio to replicate the success of Patton? The "rebellious general" may well have been just as headstrong, but the sensationalism of Patton's enormous hot temper is missing here, and MacArthur's vanity and "drama queen" traits are attributed to him by others here, yet we see very little of them as actual events (unless it is that he carefully combs his hair after showering?). Moreover, I am not sufficiently familiar with the geographical situation and the associated strategic possibilities of Japan, the Philippines, and Australia, not even with the maps MacArthur regularly pulls out himself to illustrate his proposed maneuvers – perhaps American viewers were better informed about the subject matter and could therefore better judge MacArthur's military genius, certainly in 1977 when the events of this film would still have been reasonably fresh in the memory of many. What remains is a fine performance by Gregory Peck in a film that unfortunately has a bit of the feel of a glorified television movie, though that might also be due to the transfer on my DVD, which gives the film a certain glow that I normally associate with a bad TV movie. Somehow, the title character never becomes as interesting as (I suspect) the historical MacArthur, so that even his humanism and liberal outlook are suggested but do not quite come across amidst the political scheming.
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